One of the consequences of a husband now at home all the time is that he is here for all his meals. Previously he worked away from home for about three days/nights a week. The Lock-Down first brought about the dramatic change. I have put on stones producing proper meals! Soup is not counted as a meal, evidently. The consumption of marmalade has increased almost beyond my capacity for production and by the end of last year he had eaten all the stock. So as soon as the marmalade oranges were available this January I was slicing and stirring and filling the house with a goodly fragrance. I love making marmalade so it is no great chore, and have made it every year for all the years of our marriage. See blog for January 2018. The hardest job is getting labels off jars to re-use them. Some are stuck on with glue that defeats even the hottest soapy water. BUT thanks to t'internet I found out that a few drops of cooking oil and some bicarbonate of soda removes the glue like magic! Who knew? This time I have made about 25lbs, will this see husband through the year? But as I have sliced and stirred and poured into jars I have been thinking about oranges and lemons. I try to buy as much seasonal and British, (and Yorkshire) produce as possible, but citrus fruit I could not do without. Oranges originate in Southern China (think of Mandarin oranges) and were known in Sicily by the 9th century. The Moors took them to Spain and as Italian and Portuguese explorers ventured around the globe they took oranges trees with them to those climates that could sustain them. Because they cannot survive winters in northern Europe orangeries were built by those who could afford to heat them in winter to grow these exotic fruit. Most of our oranges come from Spain, but I can remember Jaffa oranges (and Jaffa cakes are a treat) which I thought came from Jaffa in Israel, but are actually a variety. This is a page from a Children's Encyclopedia, sadly black and white photographs, with oranges from Jaffa, Sicily and California. And how oranges come to us from Spain. But how long have we been eating citrus fruits? An investigation into the art on the ArtUk website has some clues, and it is later than I thought. This painting is called Sill Life and is by Pieter Claesz [1597 - 1660] and is at the Dundee Art Gallery. I have looked at lots and lots of pictures of still life with fruit and very few have oranges or lemons in the composition. The fruits displayed always indicate luxury and opulence and the ability to enjoy the very best produce. Here there is a lemon peeled. This picture is called Still Life with Citrus fruit and is by Pieter Elinga Janssens [1623 - 1682] and is circa 1660s, at the Ashmolean Museum of Art. The oranges do not look particularly juicy or appealing. Probably marmalade oranges. It was not until the late 15th century or early 16th century that oranges were a regular import. But there are some hints in documents that they were a valuable commercial crop. The Calendar of State Papers Colonial pertaining to the Americas and the West Indies. In July 1634 - "Virginia is now become the granary of all His Majty's northern colonies." There is great plenty of beeves, goats, hogs, and all sorts of poultry, and a begining has been made of oranges, lemons, figs, vines, and all kinds of fruit. The country generally unprovided with munition. April 1638 -The Company of Providence Island to the Governor and Council. Have received their letter of 27 July last. Send a good supply of men. Are sorry for the scarcity that befell the island; suspect want of industry to have been the cause. Every man to plant a certain proportion of provisions, including oranges, lemons, and other fruits. July 1638 - Cotton to be chiefly regarded, as more valuable than tobacco; also stores of oranges and lemons to be planted. Then in May 1674 instructions about growing oranges in Bermuda and from thence to supply the state of Carolina with the fruit. As new parts of the world were discovered where the climate was suitable citrus fruits were cultivated. This painting is by Abraham van Beyeren [1620 - 1690] and is called Still Life with fruit and is at the Ashmolean Museum of Art. A peeled lemon, though could be an orange, is on the right. Another source for information about oranges is old recipe books. As well are enjoying the delights of the ArtUk collection I also like to peruse the virtual book shelves of a website called archive.org. This hosts volumes and volumes of books from libraries in America. The Family Formulary and recipe book of Catherine Webb circa 1670 is a delight. I could not find out much about her but presume that she was American. I may be wrong, but her recipes are just wonderful. To make the Oringe Pudding seems to use the rind boiled and then beaten with sugar and butter and the yolks of eggs then baked in the oven in a puff pastry. Oranges were readily available to Catherine as she has a variety of recipes including them. Back to the Calendar of State Papers Colonial for November 1700 for this information, this is about Bermuda - The first Planters made great quantities of tobacco, most part whereof was brought to England ; some have made sugar, most places in those Islands very proper for it. They formerly sent great quantities of oranges yearly to England and to the Northern Plantations on the Continent, and great Estates, but since the orange-trees are blasted and their ground barren and overrun in many places with very small insects (which they call ants), they cannot raise Indian corn and provisions sufficient for their use, but are forced to fetch it from Carolina and the Northern Plantations .... This recipe beats the peel of the orange with sugar and butter until it is like biscuit mixture and baked on top of puff pastry. This recipe does use the juice of the oranges to make a jelly. And this is for candied oranges or lemons. She boiled them whole until tender and then boiled them with equal weight of sugar and then left them for four days to soak up the syrup. But did Catherine make marmalade? This is her version of marmalade and it is made from quince and jelly made from pippins (apples). Etymologically marmalade is linked to the Portuguese word for a quince preserve. I don't think it is derived from Mary Queen of Scots being ill and cured with an orange preserve. This is the nearest to our understanding of marmalade. It took Days. You soaked the oranges for six days, then cut them up and left them another two days before cooking them and adding a pound of sugar to every pound of oranges. Here is an advertisement from 1736 for a printed cookery book which included Preserving. It also had Bills of fare for every month in the year. I associate January with marmalade but it has not always been so. Here are two advertisements from the Caledonian Mercury. This is from the 24th April 1755. And this is from the 29th April 1755. Both declare that April is the season for making marmalade. Does this indicate the speed of the sailing ships that brought the oranges? Were they still okay to use? The advertsiement above is from the Liverpool Echo 17th December 1880. This says that Hartleys had New Season marmalade in December. Interesting. Perhaps you had Chivers marmalade, Dundee Marmalade or Robertson's and collected labels to send off for a brooch or necklace with their little mascot whose name we can no longer mention. He has been replaced (quite rightly) by Paddington Bear. I still have some of these little brooches but they will never see the light of day now. Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing Stealing our senses all away? A translation of a French carol. This last painting is by Luis Melendez [1716 - 1780] and is called Still Life with Lemons and Oranges and is at the National Gallery in London. I hope that you also enjoy eating, if not making, marmalade.
1 Comment
|
AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
January 2024
Categories |